One of the best things about social media are the people you can interact with who have similar interests. I am a member of LinkedIn and they offer groups that their members can join. Guess what? There’s a group called Cookbook Writers. The Cookbook Writers group is chock-full of discussions about cookbook writing, it’s various components, and the group has over 200 members. Lynne Curry is one of the members I met there. She responded to my call for cookbook authors to participate in my interview series. Lynne’s book is due out in May and she was in the middle of her work with the book at the time of this interview. I thank Lynne for her willingness to participate and if you’re interested in the Cookbook Writers group on LinkedIn, visit here.

Did you write a cookbook proposal first, or jump straight in the manuscript?

I wrote the proposal first.

What were your biggest challenges writing this book?

Coordinating all the moving parts—researching, writing introduction/informational content/developing recipes/testing recipes—and making sure that it was all on track.

Also, I’m in the steep learning curve of becoming a book promoter/marketer. It really is the second phase of the book process, as you well know. It’s one of those things that you can’t do until you’ve invested all the time and energy in writing the thing, but the promotion component is just as intensive. I’m a little bit shocked, though I can’t say that I wasn’t warned. Happily, I have the full support of my publisher and a publicity manager who is really on the ball. We are in close contact to coordinate all of our efforts to bring this book to market.

What did you find most rewarding writing this book?

Creating a recipe collection that is comprehensive and at the same time conveys my personal tastes and slant on the topic
What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring cookbook author?

Prepare to dedicate yourself to this one project like you’ve never done before; it is the most involved, intensive and long-lasting as I’ve ever experienced.

About Lynne

Lynne Curry is the author ofPure Beef: An Essential Guide to Artisan Meat with Recipes for Every Cut (Running Press, 2012). An experienced freelance writer, professional cook and baker, she has written food article and recipes for many regional and national publications, including Relish, Saveur and Fine Cooking. She is a contributing writer for Zester Daily, writes frequently for the food section of Portland’s The Oregonian. She lives with her family in the mountains of eastern Oregon.